When The Sun Rose Again
by TheSolarisProject
Summary: Luna has taken over Equestria and is ruling with an iron fist. Thrown in jail for treason, Twilight Sparkle needs to escape. But to do so, she needs to cope with her 5 cellmates, which will be harder than escaping from the camps themselves.
1. Loose Ends

**Hello, everyone. I'm here with my first story. I was struck for ideas for a long time, and I couldn't develop anything I thought up into a full-fledged story. But this one I intend to get through. I've only recently gotten into Friendship Is Magic, and I must admit, it's a really good show. But when the idea came to write a FIM fanfic, I had a dilemma. I didn't want to keep the carefree, innocent nature of the show. I wanted to write a dark, depressing story using these characters. Hopefully I'll accomplish that here.**

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><p><strong>Oh, yeah...blah blah blah don't own these characters yadda yadda yadda belong to Hasbro etcetera etcetera etcetera not claiming for my own blabber blabber blabber.<strong>

**Now, let's get on with it.**

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><p>The night's eternal blanket comes out to put her kin to sleep, dousing the golden sphere that lights their day. They are afraid of the cover of darkness, but their fears are vanquished when the shining grey light known as the moon comes to assure them that the sun will come again. They consider it happenstance. She knows in her heart that the sun and the moon are not in balance. The sun and the moon never touch, never meet, never glance their eyes towards each other. They are not in harmony. The sun is the overseer of day, the moon is the vulture eye of night. She knows that one day, the moon will become more powerful then ever before, and tip the scales of time in her favor. She knows all this will happen. And she knows how to stop it. But the flow of time is not meant to be tampered with. She knows how to stop it, but she also knows that one small misstep in her journey will leave the situation worse then before...<p>

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><p><strong>When The Sun Rose Again<strong>

**Prologue:Loose Ends**

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><p>The two ponies stared at the rusty gates of the cemetery. The many years had taken their toll on the gates, turning the perfect grey paint into a blotchy skin covered with brown scars. The icy wind that chilled their bones also swayed the doors open and closed with a rhythmatic creaking sound. The trees surrounding the gates that once bore plentiful fruit were now pale and dead. The whole complex was a sharp and unwelcome contrast to the cheery and happy nature of Ponyville.<p>

"What are we doing here, exactly?"

The blue pony looked at her friend with a questioning stare. She didn't like the idea of entering the graveyard, and it showed. Sweat beads trickled down her neck and she nervously darted her eyes from the gates to her friend. Her heart was racing faster than it ever had before. The hellish feel coming from the place frightened the pony, but she tried not to let it show in front of her friend.

The purple pony met her blue friend's eyes as she spoke.

"I made a promise. I intend to keep it."

The purple one moved towards the gate and pushed it open with her nose. The blue one stood still, not leaving the purple one from her gaze.

"I thought you wanted to bury the past," she said as she started to walk towards her friend.

"I do," the purple one replied. "And this is the only way I know how. You know that we never got along during those years."

The blue pony shivered as the memories came back to her.

"That was the most miserable time of my life," the blue one said. "Of all of our lives. We went through a lot of rough shit. But it's over. You need to move on."

The purple one looked at her friend with a disdaining look. "I never apologized to her. If I just went on with my life, I would never be able to cope with the memories. They would haunt me day and night. I need to cleanse my soul, and this is the only way I see how I can."

They continued to walk on the stone pathway. They passed row by row of the graves of other ponies who were buried in the gloomy cemetery. Crows flew over their heads as they went to take rest on the branch of a dead tree. Leaves danced across the ground as the wind picked them up and brushed them off the grass. Neither of the ponies wanted to be there, but they had already gone so far into the place, and they couldn't go back now.

"This is it," the purple one said. She had found the grave she wanted. Slowly, she walked up the small hill that led to the tombstone and sat down in front of it. The blue one followed behind her, trying to remain calm under the extreme pressure brought forth by the horrific scenery around them. She sat down next to her friend and gave her a reassuring look before they both turned to the grave.

"I'm back, old friend," the purple one said. "It's been a long time."

The cemetery was empty excluding the two ponies and the birds above them. Not a sound could be heard except the wind howling and the trees rustling.

"You're probably wondering why I'm here. I can't leave you without saying goodbye. There are too many knots we left untied. We need to bury the hatchet."

The sky was filled with dull grey clouds that covered the blue sky that contains the golden sun. The air around them felt crisp and sharp, like a razor cutting at their fur. The grass felt matted and twisted on their delicate hooves. They felt cold, but didn't try to keep warm. They didn't notice the depressing atmosphere of the cemetery. All their attention was focused on the grave.

"All the others have moved on. They've tried to forget everything that happened. Not me. I couldn't move on until I talked to you."

The blue one felt tears running down her cheeks. She looked at her purple friend beside her. She wanted to speak, but she couldn't form the words. She just sat on the grass next to her friend and continuously looked back from her to the tombstone.

"I know that if you were still here, it would so much easier to talk to you. I could hear what you would have to say. I could feel your presence once again. I could see what you were really like, as just a citizen of Ponyville."

Now the purple pony started to tear up. She had never felt such a plethora of emotions sweeping over her. The sadness, the joy, the anger. It all came back to her.

"So, my old friend...where do I begin?"

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><p><strong>Hope you enjoyed the first chapter, everyone! All reviews are appreciated, but please, no flaming, and comments are always welcome. If you're confused, don't worry - it will all be explained in the coming chapters.<strong>


	2. The Enclosure

**Welcome to the first official chapter of the story! I know that the prologue was a little short, but I just wanted it to serve as an introduction to the atmosphere of the fic. Now we can dig in to the meat and potatoes of the story.**

**Before we get started, thanks to Wheller and DoctorWhooves for your reviews. I really didn't expect 2 good reviews on just the prologue. Wait, what am I saying? This is Friendship Is Magic, for Christ's sake.**

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><p>The legend of the sun and the moon and the everlasting night has been the subject of heavy debate amongst all citizens of Equestria. Some say that the story of the struggle between the sun and the moon entirely true. Some say that it's just what it is - a legend. Some believe in it, some have doubt over it. Few, however, have been able to understand it.<p>

To understand the complete story of the sun and the moon, one would have to read in between the lines of history and legend. History will tell you that the sun and the moon simply collided together and were separated for all eternity. History will tell you that a freak accident in the balance of nature and space was the cause. History will provide a scientific reason for the story of the sun and the moon.

Legend, however, will test your beliefs of science and bend what you think is reality. Not everything can be explained by just history. Sometimes, you must introduce a little bit of uncertainty.

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><p><strong>When The Sun Rose Again<strong>

**Chapter I:The Enclosure**

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><p>When Twilight woke up, she was lying down on the cold floor, her head tilted sideways. She lifted her head up and looked around. She was in a small room made entirely out of concrete, except for the metal bars behind her. On the right side of the room was a set of beds - if you could call them beds, they weren't anything more than slates of stone jutting out from the wall with sheets and pillows. The wall in front of her contained a small window. The window let in a bare shot of moonlight that lit up the right part of the room, but not the left. The side not lit up was completely dark, so Twilight couldn't tell if there was anything in that side.<p>

When she tried to stand, a pain shot up her leg and she immediately fell back down. She stuck out her leg in front of her and looked at it. There was a long cut running down one side of her right hind leg.

"How did that get there?" she wondered to herself. She tried standing once again, and this time, with some difficulty, stood up on all four legs. She walked over to the bed and laid down on it. She adjusted her body, trying to get used to the cold feel of the concrete on her body.

"Not exactly comfortable," she said to herself. "But it doesn't seem like I have any other options."

She lied down and looked out the window. The moon shone high in the sky, just as it always had. The light from the moon came down and stared her straight in the face. It was as if the moon was the evil eye of a vulture keeping watch on it's prey down below, making sure it wouldn't escape its clutches.

"How did I get in here?" she asked herself. "What did I do to deserve this kind of shabby treatment? How did I get into this whole mess?"

She tried vividly to remember the entire events leading up to that point.

The last thing she remembered hearing was the clutter of pots and pans from the kitchen. It was late at night, and the sudden noise woke her up. She jumped from her bed, surprised, and walked towards the kitchen. Probably just a rat running around knocking stuff over, she thought to herself.

But as she got closer to the kitchen, she started to walk slower, and eventually stopped around the corner to the kitchen. She began to hear noises coming from the kitchen. Not the squeal of a rat, either. They were voices. Whispered, hushed voices, as if they were aware that they had woken up Twilight and were trying to make as little noise as possible.

Twilight hoped that they weren't aware of her presence, though. She thought they might be robbers or vandalists invading her home who happened to be very clumsy. She thought that if she stood still, they wouldn't come her way, and would leave without knowing she was even there. Then, she would report the break-in to the police and everything would be okay.

After about half an hour, Twilight became restless. She hadn't counted on them staying this long. They kept banging into pots and pans, knocking them over and making loud noises. It began to annoy her that they wouldn't leave. It was like an annoying party guest who arrives uninvited and doesn't leave until everyone else is gone. Thankfully, she remained undetected in the hallway.

Twilight became irritated after an hour had passed by. She could still hear them shuffling around the kitchen, whispering to each other. It annoyed her more that she couldn't hear what they were saying, so she didn't know why they were there. She wanted to walk out and set them straight, but she thought against it as they might be armed. She didn't want to face the possibility of dying that night.

But she wanted to see them doing what they were doing, so she could at least be sure what they were doing. She tiptoed to the edge of the corner and stuck her head around the corner. She could see two black figures walking around the kitchen talking to one another. She could make out small patterns of grayish light running down their bodies. She saw one of them pick up a few dishes and dropped them on the floor.

Then it dawned on her. They weren't clumsy - they were doing it on purpose. They wanted to draw the occupant to them. And it had almost worked. They had indeed gotten Twilight to come to them, but they were completely unaware that they had. Twilight moved out a little bit further to try and get a better look at their faces to try and identify them.

When she stepped forward, however, the floor creaked beneath her. She darted back behind the wall, hoping they hadn't heard it. For a few seconds, there was silence. Then she heard footsteps coming closer and ran back to the safety of her bedroom. She hid in the closet as they searched the entire house looking for the source of the sound. She could hear them walking around and yelling at each other to search the others rooms.

She was filled with horror as she heard them open up the bedroom door. She heard them walk around back and forth between the room, looking around for her. She remained perfectly still in the closet, praying that they would leave soon.

"I can't find anyone," she heard one of them say. "Must've escaped through a window or something."

"Probably did. Or maybe it was just a mouse or something," she heard another one say.

"Well, let's get out of here. No use sticking around anymore."

Twilight let out a small sigh of relief as she heard them leave the room. Her relief turned to panic, though, when she heard them stop.

"Hold on," one of them said. "Did you check the closet?"

Her eyes grew wide with terror as the footsteps grew louder. They were coming towards her, and there was nothing she could do about it. There was no possible way should escape this situation. The footsteps became louder and louder. When the footsteps stopped, she could hear the door opening slowly, and as soon as the door opened up, she stared face to face with one of the intruders.

That was all that she could remember. She laid down on the stone bed replaying the events over and over in her mind. She couldn't remember feeling more scared in her entire life then that moment when she knew they were closing in on her. It sent shivers up her spine just thinking about it. The sheer fright she was experiencing at that moment was almost too much for her to handle.

Obviously, the two intruders were members of an elite police force that had come to bring her to jail. But she couldn't figure out why they did. She had never wronged a pony in her life. She was always nice to everyone. She didn't want to steal anything from anyone. She didn't have reason to violate anyone. And she certainly didn't want to murder anybody. So why would they want to have her arrested?

Suddenly, a sharp noise from the corner of the room broke her from her thoughts. She turned around. The noise had come from the corner that hadn't been lit. It sounded like someone had kicked a loose piece of stone or rock against the wall.

"Who's there?" Twilight called to the corner. There came no response. Whatever had made the noise knew that Twilight was onto it.

"Come on, now, don't be afraid," she tried to coax it. "It's okay. Come on out."

She waited. Nothing came out. Was it a small animal that couldn't understand what she was saying? No, it had to understand her - otherwise, it wouldn't know to stop when she was aware of its presence.

"There's nothing to be afraid of, now," she tried once again. "Just come out, please."

And this time, a response did come.

"A-are you a-alone?"

It was a girl's voice. She sounded young, about 18. She sounded very scared, as if she was in her own closet and I was an intruder.

"Yes, I'm alone."

"A-are the guards gone?"

She sounded frightened, but was she scared of Twilight or something else?

"Yes, the guards are gone. Come on, show yourself."

She still didn't move. She wanted to make absolutely sure that no one was around but me.

"You're absolutely s-sure that n-no one else is h-here?"

"There's no one here but you and me. Now come out of the shadows so I can see you."

For a while, there wasn't any sound at all. Then, she saw a yellow hoof come out from the shadows. Then another. The pony started walking out of the shadows very cautiously, almost as if she were strapped to a bomb that would detonate if she touched the wrong spot. It took her a little while, but Twilight could finally see the pony in her entirety. She was a yellow pegasus pony whose wings were folded down against her stomach. She had blue eyes that nervously looked at Twilight. Her long pink mane stretched down below her head, and her pink tail reached down to the floor.

"I'm sorry I was hiding," she said after a long silence. "It's just that I'm really scared of the guards."

"Oh, that's okay," Twilight responded. "No harm done. I'm Twilight Sparkle. What's your name?"

"Fluttershy," she responded.

"Nice to know you, Fluttershy." She didn't say anything back. She just kept looking around the room, possibly thinking that a guard was hiding under one of the beds about to jump up and scare her.

"Where are we?" Twilight asked the pegasus.

"We call it the Enclosure," she responded. "One of the Lunar Empire's many prison camps. They hold ponies here until they're sent to their death. It's definitely a better experience than living here."

"How long have you been here?" Twilight asked.

Fluttershy closed her eyes, trying to remember how long she was locked in the room.

"11 years, I think."

"11 years? How old are you?"

Fluttershy seemed slightly offended. "I'm 21. Why do you ask?"

"You just look and sound so young," Twilight said. "I never would have thought you would've been here for 11 years."

Fluttershy wasn't sure whether to feel complimented or insulted.

"Why are you in here?" Twilight asked.

Fluttershy sighed. "The same reason everyone's here."

"And what's that?"

Fluttershy looked at Twilight with a serious face.

"Treason."

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><p><strong>Well, folks, hope you enjoyed this chapter! Hopefully, I'll be able to keep these updates constantly coming even as school begins to start again. It shouldn't be to unbearable, but don't expect every chapter to come out on time, either.<strong>


	3. Trading Never Befores

**Welcome back. I got this out a little sooner than I thought I would. You know, I didn't think leading out from treason would be considered a cliffhanger. But maybe I'm wrong and you're right. Well, i won't bore you with any more of my opinions - let's just get on with it, shall we?**

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><p>History will tell you that the only explanation for the incident involving the sun and the moon is one of pure coincidence. It has only happened once before, and will most likely never happen again in the history of the entire universe. Somehow, the moon itself had managed to fall backwards out of orbit and happened to be right in front of the sun. When it had it's orbitual pattern reversed, it was in the middle of a solar eclipse. The citizens of Equestria were confused when they awoke the next day to find the moon still shining in the sky, completely blocking the sun.<p>

No historian is absolutely sure how it happened, but the most common believed theory is that a foreign object - such as a meteorite - impacted the moon. The impact was so hard that it caused the moon to fall out of orbit and head backwards. The moon was unable to correct itself, and it effectively blocked the sun from ever reaching it's rays to Equestria. The balance of the sun and moon had been completely thrown off, and there seemed to be no way to fix it.

But not everything can be told through history. History only serves as an explanation how it happened. You need to incorporate a bit of legendary tale into your belief in order to understand why it happened.

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><p><strong>When The Sun Rose Again<strong>

**Chapter II:Trading Never Befores**

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><p>Twilight was shocked by this answer. "Treason?" she said. "What did you do that would be considered treasonous?"<p>

"Nothing!" Fluttershy piped in, raising her voice. "I didn't do or say anything against the Lunar Empire! I didn't commit treason, and I never plan to!"

Fluttershy looked away. She stared out the window. The moon, hanging in the sky, stared down at both of them with a menacing look.

"But my parents did," she said after a long pause.

She hopped into the bed next to Twilight and stretched out amongst the stone slate. She was more used to the cold stone than Twilight was, because she wasn't fidgeting around trying to find a comfortable way to sleep. Twilight was still confused by Fluttershy's answer.

"What do you mean?" she asked. "What did your parents do?"

Fluttershy sighed. She didn't like to bring up the subject of her parents, especially to someone that she barely knew.

"They were arrested for creating a Neo-Celestian group outside of Cloudsdale, where I grew up. They were trying to reconvert the Equestrian system of government back to it's days before the moon blocked the sun. They had a big number of supporters, but the Lunars caught wind of their group and went after them. Eventually, we were raided. My parents were taken and executed and I was captured and sent here."

Suddenly, Twilight's scar began to hurt again. She began to rub it with her hoof, trying to sooth it. Fluttershy just stared at her, smirking.

"Bothering you already, is it?" she said.

Twilight looked over. She was rubbing her own leg. Was she mocking her? "What do you mean?"

"Your mark," she said. "It's painful at first, trust me. But then you start to get used to it. It almost becomes a part of you."

Twilight was confused beyond belief. "What are you talking about?"

Fluttershy laughed. "That's not just a scar. It's a means of identification. The guards purposefully cut you on the right hind leg to make sure you know your place. Everyone locked up here has one."

She stretched out her own leg to show the scar down her leg. It looked exactly like her own, with the same X-shape in roughly the same position on her leg. It looked fresh, as if it had just been cut.

"But I just got in here," Twilight said, puzzled. "You've been here 11 years. How come you still have a wound?"

"They check you every day to make sure the scar is still noticeable. If it isn't, they cut a new one in. I just got this one yesterday. They do it as a precaution. If any pony escapes - and very few have - the mark serves as a means to make others know that they have escaped prison. It's gruesome, yes, but it works."

"Doesn't it hurt?" Twilight asked.

"Oh, yeah; it hurts like hell," Fluttershy responded. "It really bothered me for the first few months. Then I got used to the pain. It really isn't as painful as knowing that you're stuck in this place forever."

Twilight understood. She was very uncomfortable knowing that she would have to suffer immense pain in her leg for the time she was in there, but when Fluttershy told her that she would get used to it, she felt a lot better.

Twilight let out a large yawn. "Well, I suppose it's time I got some sleep. It looks like I'm gonna be here a while."

"No doubt about that," Fluttershy said dully. She too let out a huge yawn.

"You know, Fluttershy," Twilight said, "you're a really nice pony. I don't know why you were so scared of me."

Fluttershy blushed. "That's just who I am, really. I'm not really that open."

"Yeah, but you couldn't have stayed in that corner forever."

"I know, but I wasn't sure about you. I knew nothing about you, I had never seen you before, and I was forced to live with you for the entire time I'm in here. If that doesn't get you a little weary, I'm not sure what will."

"Good point." Twilight yawned.

"You're not so bad yourself, you know," Fluttershy said. "You're awfully nice."

"Aw, it's nothing," Twilight said, slightly embarrassed. "I'm always there for anybody."

The moon's light shone directly into the cell. It was the only source of light in the entire building, and it didn't exactly make the room that bright to begin with. Twilight had gotten used to the darkness, however, and was able to see clearly.

"There's just one more thing I have to know, Fluttershy," she said. "These ponies that raided your house; what did they look like?"

Fluttershy thought long and hard, trying to remember. "Well, I wasn't exactly able to get a real good look at them. From what I could see, though, they were all black except for patches of grey across their bodies. They had blood red eyes that pierced through you into your soul with a mean stare. They were pegasus ponies; that's how they got up to Cloudsdale in the first place. That's all I can remember. Why, is that who captured you?"

"Yep," Twilight responded. "Except they weren't pegasus ponies. They invaded my house in the middle of the night and drove me out of bed by making loud noises. When I tried to get a good look at them, the floor creaked and they spotted me. I hid in the closet, but it was only a matter of time before they eventually found me. I can't remember being more scared than I was at that time."

"You should've seen me," Fluttershy retorted. "I was cowering wide open in a corner, shaking with my eyes wide open. My heart was racing faster than it ever had. It felt like it was about to burst right out of my chest. I was so stricken by fear that I wasn't able to move. I could only watch as they walked up to me with a club in hand. The next thing I knew, I was in this cell with a wound on my leg."

Fluttershy suddenly smiled. "I'm glad you're here, Twilight. All these years I've had nobody to talk to, to share my feelings with. I've had to keep them inside me, filling up my brain until it gave me a headache. Now I can let all of it out."

"Well, I'm glad that I'm here with you, Fluttershy," Twilight smiled back. "If it was just me, I don't think I'd be able to survive. I'd probably be lost in the ways of this prison with you to help me through it."

Fluttershy got up and stuck out her hoof to Twilight. "Friends?"

Twilight met her hoof and shook it firmly. "Friends."

So the two new friends laid back down and tried to get some sleep. Fluttershy found comfort right away, but Twilight wasn't finding it so easy to find a comfortable way to lie down. Fluttershy could hear her rustling around, and she knew that neither of them would sleep if she continued to have this much trouble.

"Lay on your left side," she said. "It won't hurt your scar as much."

Twilight listened, and when she adjusted herself, she found that this was indeed very comfortable. Her scar didn't hurt, and it actually felt nice on her body.

"Thanks," she said.

"No problem," Fluttershy responded. "Good night, Twilight."

"Good night, Fluttershy," Twilight said.

Twilight looked back upon the events that had played in her new home. She figured that this would be a rough time in her life, one that would test her limits beyond what she thought they were capable of. She could be going through this time all alone, but she had Fluttershy to guide her through everything. And for that, she was eternally grateful.

Fluttershy, too, was grateful that she had met Twilight. She was finally able to talk to someone about her struggles. She didn't have to vent all her feelings on herself anymore. She could release them all and let Twilight absorb them, and then she would try to help Fluttershy get through her feelings.

The moon's light was slowly fading from the room. Soon, the room would be completely dark. The moon had finished it's course above Equestria for the night, and was returning back to it's den to bring night to the other side of the world. The moon was going down in the sky, and it was dragging the poor sun along with it.

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><p><strong>Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Stay tuned for more to come soon!<strong>


	4. The Original Cell

**Welcome back, ladies and gents. Sorry about the delay, but I've been really busy with trying to get readjusted with the school schedule. Waking up early? Tougher than it sounds. But I hope to remedy that with a good chapter. Let's begin.**

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><p>History can only tell you so much. Legend broadens your view of how you view the world we live in. It stretches your imagination and has you believing what you want to believe. And legend provides its own explanation for the history of the sun and the moon.<p>

1000 years ago, the sun and the moon, just like they are today, were not in balance. They would constantly forget their places and cause the transition from day to night and back again to become a confused and unpredictable cycle. This made living in Equestria nearly impossible. Weather would be impossible to determine because of the constant shifting time. Crops couldn't grow, and the global state became uninhabitable.

To remedy this situation, two young sisters were gifted with the task of controlling the sun and the moon. The older sister, charged with controlling the sun, was named Princess Celestia. She was a white unicorn with a flowing, colorful mane. She would rise the sun in the daytime when the ponies were awake, to light their day. The younger sister, charged with controlling the moon, was named Princess Luna. She was a dark blue unicorn who was smaller that Celestia, but was just as strong. She would bring up the moon to compliment the sun and to tell ponies that it was time to go to sleep and await the rising of the sun the next morning.

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><p><strong>When The Sun Rose Again<strong>

**Chapter III:The Original Cell**

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><p>For 8 long years, the small cell room in the far corner of the Enclosure was the home of the two ponies who were both charged with a crime they feel that they didn't commit.<p>

Twilight and Fluttershy's friendship never faltered. For 8 years, they would constantly chat with each other about what life was like before the rise of the Lunar Empire. They would exchange stories of their lives to each other, talk about their families. If one was feeling down, the other would comfort her. It was a comfortable system that worked for both of the ponies. They felt okay in the presence of each other, and were completely happy with just the two of them together in the same small room in the prison.

But fate has ways of introducing new obstacles it wants us to avoid. And if fate wants something done, it will be done.

It started on a cool, summer evening. Twilight and Fluttershy had just finished what they normally did at this time of day; nothing. It was almost time for the guards to come around and give them their measly scarps of vegetable leaves and flowers - or, to the prisoners, dinner. Twilight wasn't as hungry as she remembered she was. When she first came to the Enclosure, she would always be starving, even asking Fluttershy to give her the food that she hadn't finished (which she always did). Now that she had gotten used to the miniscule food intake, she found that her stomach could handle it.

A guard walked up to the cell and knocked on the bars twice. This was their way of saying that dinner was ready. He wheeled behind a small cart which held all the ponies' food.

"I got something special for you tonight, ladies," the guard said in a flat voice. The two ponies walked up to the guard and grabbed their bowls. Their normally filthy meal was noticeably cleaner than usual. There were even a handful of fresh vegetables thrown in the mix.

"What's with the better food tonight?" Twilight asked before she dug into her bowl.

"It's a special occasion for you two," the guard answered. "Today's your last day in this cell. Tomorrow, you're both being transfered to Section J-10."

The ponies were surprised. "Why are we being transfered?" Fluttershy asked.

"Some ponies over there have requested you two to join them in their cell. We happen to need more ponies in this wing, anyway, so you got lucky. Enjoy your last meal here."

The guard walked off carrying other prisoner's bowls on the cart. The two ponies looked at each other.

"J-10?" Twilight asked, swallowing her food. "What's J-10?"

"It's the VIP suite of this eternal hellhole," Fluttershy answered. "You can only go there if you have a record of good behavior. But I don't think I've ever heard of ponies being transfered there because of a request from other ponies."

Twilight was as confused as she was. She had been stuck in this cell for 8 years doing nothing but eat, talk to Fluttershy, and sleep. How did that qualify her for good behavior?

"I don't think I know anyone in J-10", Fluttershy continued. "I don't know why anyone would want us specifically to be their cell mates."

"I guess we'll find out in the morning, won't we?" Twilight answered as she finished her food. She pushed her bowl towards the cell bars and sat down on her bed.

"I guess so," Fluttershy responded. She, too, sat down on her bed. "Well, we better get some sleep, then."

"Yeah, we should. Don't want to set a bad impression, do we?"

The two ponies stretched out on their side and pulled the covers over their bodies. The moon shined in the sky, lighting the way for travelers in the small town of Ponyville. The light barely escaped into the room, but they could still see the whole place very well.

Twilight wasn't sure how she felt about transferring to a new cell. On one hand, she liked the idea of moving around a bit. It gave her the chance to finally explore a new section of the Enclosure that was different from this one. On the other hand, she had grown used to life in this room, and wasn't sure how she'd do in the other room. For 8 years, her only companion was Fluttershy. Now they were both being thrown into a small group of other ponies who, she reckoned, didn't even know them.

But maybe they did know them. Why else would they have wanted them specifically to transfer over? Twilight wasn't sure who it could be, though. She didn't know a lot of ponies before she was captured, and most of them had probably forgotten her during those 8 years in the Enclosure. Who would want her to be with them? Her parents? Her relatives? An old friend that she always remembered but would never be able to visit? She didn't think any pony had a reason to want to be with her.

Unless...they knew Fluttershy?

Before she could think any more, she found her eyes shutting, and almost instantly went to sleep.

* * *

><p>The guard walked along the corridor waving a baton around in his right hand. He was walking casually, as if he were walking down the street. He kept tilting his head left and right, observing all the ponies in the cages. He had no interest in them, however. He was heading straight towards section J-10.<p>

J-10 was a name given to the area by one of the prisoners themselves; no one is sure who exactly named it or why they did. It was the first part of the Enclosure to be built, and housed many of the first prisoners. After more construction work had been done, J-10 was a strictly forbidden area for those who did not show a good record of behavior in their time at the camps. Because of this, constant shifting had to be done throughout the course of the prison, always adjusting in favor of ponies that showed better behavior than those already kept in J-10.

As the guard entered J-10, he reached cell he was looking for. It was in the far corner of the Enclosure. It wasn't hard to forget; Sobrein. It was the first cell to be finished in the first area of the camp. It housed the first four prisoners to be captured and sent to the Enclosure. It was the original cell. The guard banged on the cell bars. A pony came forward.

"This had better be good," the pony said in an irritated voice.

"I'm sure even you'll be happy about this," the guard replied, smiling at the pony's attitude that he had gotten used to. "I booked the arrangement. You'll get the two prisoners you wanted tomorrow morning."

The pony smiled. "Excellent. Now, let us sleep. We need all the energy we can to greet our new guests."

The guard nodded and walked off. The pony watched him as he walked off.

"This is gonna be perfect," the pony said to herself. "Just perfect."

"What's all the ruckus?" another pony said, coming up behind her. "Don't they know it's way too late to be starting up conversations with the prisoners? Or are they just trying to annoy us?"

"Not this time," the pony responded. "They secured the two ponies. They're coming here in the morning."

"About that," the second pony said. "Are you sure they're ready for this?"

The pony turned towards her cell mate. "I'm sure. I've been keeping my eye on them for a while now. I'm sure that she's the one."

She looked back at the other prisoners. "But I'm not too sure about her friend."

"We need her, too," the other pony responded. "We need more strength than we could ever muster on our own. We need as much help as we can get. But right now, the only thing we can do is wait until morning."

The ponies walked back towards their beds. They eagerly awaited the arrival of Twilight and Fluttershy.

* * *

><p>Fluttershy was already awake when Twilight woke up. Twilight had rested very good, but Fluttershy hadn't gotten a wink of sleep. Twilight could tell that she was trying to get some sleep - her eyes were baggy, she wasn't moving that much, and she was constantly yawning - but she still felt that she had to talk to her.<p>

"Didn't get much sleep, huh?" she asked.

Fluttershy weakly looked over. "Nope. None at all," she said in-between yawns. "I've been too busy thinking."

"About what?"

Fluttershy got out of bed. She was trying to stay awake while she was talking.

"About this transfer. It seems really odd to me. These ponies specifically wanted us two to be with them. But why? They don't know us. At least, I don't think they do..."

Twilight began to have the same thoughts she had last night. "But what if they do?" she said. "It's the only reason they could possibly want us both. I mean, do you remember anyone from your childhood who may have been trapped here?"

Fluttershy was about to answer, but the guard interrupted them before she could say anything.

"Ready to go, ladies?" the monotone voice said.

The two ponies walked over to the guard. He was fumbling around with the keys, trying to find the ones to their cell. When he found them, he unlocked the door and the two ponies walked outside.

"This is the first time I've been outside that cell in 19 years," Fluttershy whispered to Twilight. "I feel so free."

"Hush it, girls," the guard interrupted. "You're not being freed, you know. You're just being moved to a nicer place. Follow me."

The guard walked off and the ponies followed him. As they walked towards J-10, Twilight looked around at the cages. All eyes were on them. They looked jealous that Twilight and Fluttershy were being let out of their cages and they weren't. This didn't bother Twilight as much as the ponies who looked towards them with a sad glance, as if they were trying to ask her to take them with her. They made Twilight sad herself.

At last, they reached Sobrein. Twilight looked at it. It just looked like a bigger cell to her. But that might have been what made it so coveted - all the extra leg room. The guard opened the door and they walked inside. Twilight thought that this was a much better way to enter then to wake up unconscious on the floor.

The guard slammed the door. Suddenly, the two ponies heard a noise. It was coming from the corner. They couldn't see anything in it because of the moon light not shining in that corner. Twilight was reminded of when she first met Fluttershy.

"Welcome, Fluttershy," a voice answered. A pony was stepping out of the corner. "It's been a long time, hasn't it?"

The pony stopped when she was fully revealed in the light. Fluttershy gasped at the sight of her.

"Are you..." she began.

"Yes, Fluttershy," the voice responded. "It's me."

Fluttershy was stunned. She could hardly believe what she was seeing.

"R-Rainbow Dash?"

* * *

><p><strong>Oh, goody! More cliffhangers! See the epic continuation coming...soon, I don't know.<strong>


End file.
